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VH1 Storytellers (Ringo Starr album)

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VH1 Storytellers
Live album by
Ringo Starr
Released20 October 1998
Recorded13 May 1998
GenreRock
Length51:56
LabelMercury
ProducerMark Hudson
Ringo Starr chronology
Vertical Man
(1998) 		VH1 Storytellers
(1998) 		I Wanna Be Santa Claus
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

VH1 Storytellers is a live and video album by Ringo Starr recorded and released for the popular music program in 1998. Unlike his previous live recordings, this release places Starr in an intimate environment where, as per the show's requirement, he tells the genesis of the songs being performed.

Recording

Recorded a month before the release of Starr's new studio album Vertical Man – and performed in promotion for it – VH1 Storytellers features Starr's contemporary musical collaborator Mark Hudson (who produced this set) and Starr's current band, dubbed "the Roundheads". Aside from songs that appeared on Vertical Man, much of the set is devoted to Starr's Beatles and early solo successes with Starr relating their stories in a relaxed, and sometimes humorous, fashion.

Release and reception

This marked the last time a Ringo Starr album was released on a pre-recorded cassette in the United States, according to journalist Peter Palmiere. However, some countries in the Far East still issue cassettes of recent Ringo Starr material including Ringo Rama, Choose Love and Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr.

Released by Mercury in the US on 20 October 1998,[nb 1][5] VH1 Storytellers stands as a unique release in Starr's recorded catalogue. Although it failed to chart anywhere, the album received a favourable response from some critics. Entertainment Weekly's reviewer wrote: "It's his yarns, though, that are most engaging … A nice retrospective of an under appreciated composer."[3]

Album Track listing

  1. "With a Little Help from My Friends" (Lennon–McCartney) – 4:18
  2. "It Don't Come Easy" (Richard Starkey) – 3:18
  3. "I Was Walkin'" (Starkey/Mark Hudson/Dean Grakal) – 4:21
  4. "Don't Pass Me By" (Starkey) – 5:40
  5. "Back Off Boogaloo" (Starkey) – 3:40
  6. "King of Broken Hearts" (Starkey/Hudson/Steve Dudas/Grakal) – 7:42
  7. "Octopus's Garden" (Starkey) – 2:51
  8. "Photograph" (Starkey/George Harrison) – 4:10
  9. "La De Da" (Starkey/Hudson/Dudas/Grakal) – 5:04
  10. "What in the... World" (Starkey/Hudson/Dudas/Grakal) – 5:31
  11. "Love Me Do" (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:42
  12. "With a Little Help from My Friends (Reprise)" (Lennon–McCartney) – 1:19
  13. "I've Got Blisters..." – 0:13 - Danny Solazzi from the Rock group The Characters asks: "At the end of "Helter Skelter," is it you or John who says they have blisters on their fingers?" Ringo: "It was me. I'VE GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS!!!"
  14. "The End" – 0:03 - Ringo: "I do believe that is the end."

Live Track Listing

  1. "With a Little Help from My Friends" (Lennon–McCartney)
  2. "Back Off Boogaloo" (Starkey)
  3. "Don't Pass Me By" (Starkey)
  4. "It Don't Come Easy" (Starkey)
  5. "Octopus's Garden" (Starkey)
  6. "Photograph" (Starkey/Harrison)
  7. "La De Da" (Starkey/Mark Hudson/Steve Dudas/Dean Grakal)
  8. "King of Broken Hearts" (Starkey/Hudson/Dudas/Grakal)
  9. "Love Me Do" (Lennon–McCartney)
  10. "With a Little Help from My Friends (Reprise)" (Lennon–McCartney)

Personnel

  • Ringo Starr – lead vocals, drums, piano on "Don't Pass Me By"
  • Joe Walsh – guitar, backing vocals
  • Mark Hudson – guitar, harmonica, backing vocals
  • Gary Burr – guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
  • Steve Dudas – guitar
  • Jack Blades – bass, backing vocals
  • Jim Cox – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Scott Gordon – harmonica
  • Simon Kirke – drums, percussion

References

Footnotes
  1. ^ US Mercury 314 538 118-2[5]
Citations
  1. ^ VH1 Storytellers at AllMusic
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 1984. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. ^ a b "Ringo Starr VH1 Storytellers Album Review". Entertainment Weekly. 6 November 1998. p. 89.
  4. ^ Brackett, Nathan, with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Fireside. p. 777. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ^ a b Harry, Bill (2004). The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia. London: Virgin Books. p. 186. ISBN 9780753508435.
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